Anointing of the Second (eBook)

CHAPTER ONE:
What It Truly Means
to Be an Armor Bearer

I recently read an article from a well-known pastor stating that the armor bearer is not a Biblical church office. The author adds that “true pastors” do not need security, service assistance, or drivers to aid them because they are not celebrities. And while I agree that some leaders have misused the office of the adjutant, I also believe that the assignment is necessary for assisting leadership. I will also add that there are multiple church offices that are not biblical, such as administrator, executive pastor, minister of music, trustee, and the list goes on. But we find in today’s society that these offices are not only necessary but vital to the growth and functioning of the church. What is unique about the armor bearer is their office has a biblical foundation.

In biblical times the Armor Bearer was responsible for carrying and caring for the weapons of their leader. Greek uses the phrase, ho airon ta skeue, literally “the one carrying the armor.” In Hebrew words: bearer is “nacah” [to lift up or carry] armor is “kliy” [weapons]. The word Armor Bearer is used 18 times in the Old Testament. The Armor Bearer sees the leader before, during, and after the battle.

In some cases, they were the only two standing on the field of battle against the opposition. The Armor Bearer removes the dents out of the leader’s shield and is reminded of every blow the leader took from foes. He wipes and removes every bloodstain from the leader’s shield and sword, that of enemies’ blood and the leader’s. As we will discuss later, when the leader received a lethal blow, the Armor Bearer would pierce themselves dying on the field with their leader. So if that was the assignment of the Old Testament biblical Armor Bearer, what is the assignment of today’s Armor Bearer? And where does the adjutant fit? Are the Armor Bearer and the Adjutant the same? Let us first examine what are the principal duties of the Armor Bearer. Those overarching duties are to “sanctify the leader in the eyes of the people” and to “protect the integrity of the ministry.”

This term, “sanctify the leader in the eyes of the people,” was taught to me by Bishop Darryl Woodson of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ Incorporated. Who was at that time the Adjutant General under Bishop-Metropolitan Jesse D. Ellis II, who founded the adjutancy. Sanctifying the leader simply means purifying or cleansing them in the congregation’s eyes. This is done by ensuring that nothing is out of place when they stand before the people. Your first assignment is to the leader. As the Old Testament leader could not focus their attention on whether their sword was sharpened or their shield was battle ready, neither should today’s leaders have to worry about whether their vestments are prepared or are the microphones working. The focus for every leader should be on the battle and not the environment. That is your job! The second assignment is to “protect the integrity of the church.” This means that after you ensure nothing is out of place with your leader, you focus your attention on the ministry. The ministry is an extension of your leader and must be guarded. As we will go into detail later, you must ensure that there are no issues that can cause problems, such as torn carpet that may cause a fall, leaks, violations, etc. While some of you may be thinking that this is the assignment of maintenance or others, I beg to differ. You must not only protect the leader but their seat!

In the movie Black Panther, Okoye, the head of Wakandan armed forces and intel, makes a statement that her job is not just to the leader but to protect the seat and anyone that sits on it. The integrity and honor of the overall ministry must be premier in your mind. You must not focus all your energy on the leader and fail to acknowledge their seat! That is the leader’s legacy, and you are chosen to protect that along with your leader. Everything you study, learn, and accomplish will fall under these two mandates.

Armor Bearer vs. Adjutant

At times we use these titles interchangeably, and it is possible to do so, but like with any position, there are levels and distinctions which we will address in further chapters. For simplicity’s sake, I will state that the Armor Bearer functions as the “doer” or the “feet” of the office while the Adjutant is more the administrator. The adjutant will function as the individual that learns, modifies, and administers the protocol, while the armor bearer ensures that that protocol and task are fulfilled. Many ministries do not have enough servants to separate the two assignments, so they are combined. As I will continue to state, my recommendation is that adjutants should constantly be surveying for “their feet.” Those individuals that are “task-oriented” and love accomplishing assignments. Many have argued that there is no distinction between these two assignments. While I might agree with some discussions, I still believe that separating the two allows both personalities to advance and succeed. An Adjutant is always an Armor Bearer, but an Armor Bearer is not always an Adjutant. Consider the distinction between a secretary and an administrative assistant.

A secretary is clerical, and their role involves tasks such as transcription, typing up documents, copying, and call management, mainly supporting the administrative assistant.2 In comparison, an administrative assistant is more of a decision-maker and will typically work independently, covering the responsibilities of a secretary while having the responsibility of projects. This means that an administrative assistant’s role extends further than the clerical tasks of a secretary and will have the ability to make judgments and decisions, which equates with the distinction of an Armor Bearer and an Adjutant. Throughout this book, I will often use the terms interchangeably, but hopefully, now you have a better understanding of their distinctions.

Weapon Bearer

I occasionally equate the Old Testaments Armor Bearer’s weapon-­carrying assignment to the contemporary Armor Bearer Bible carrier. But let’s take a deeper look at what weapon carrying entails.

The true weight that an Armor Bearer carries goes beyond just the weapons of the leader they bear. The Armor Bearer sees the scars every battle leaves because the leader does not always emerge without injury or scars. They see the battles the leader must fight and the ones they assign themselves to, such as the struggles of their leaders, parishioners, family members, and so on.

In the spirit, the Armor Bearer removes the dents out of the leader’s shield and is reminded of every blow the leader took from foes. Remember, you will often see what others are not permitted to view because of your proximity to the leader. The Armor Bearer wipes and removes every bloodstain from the leader’s shield, that of enemies’ blood and the leader’s. Not even the leader can understand how it feels to be the Armor Bearer — to watch your leader, the very light and visionary of the church, endure blow after unrelenting blow! Recently, while in morning prayer, I prayed for my leader.

Once, while in prayer for my leader, the Lord allowed me to feel some of the weight of my leader. The harder I prayed, the heavier the weight seemed to feel. Tears flowed as I continued praying. The Lord revealed that what I was experiencing was just a small measure of the pressure a true leader feels. No matter how close you get, you will never know how much pressure your leader is experiencing, which is why you are there to bear your portion and assist where needed!

During my servant workshops, I always begin by showing two boxes. I place the boxes on a table. Both boxes are beautifully wrapped and affixed with a bow. Everyone is asked to approach the table and pick up each box. The first box is empty, and this box is labeled “what ministry is not.” The second box contains a twenty-five-pound weight, and this box is labeled “what ministry is.” If you don’t take anything from this book, take a straightforward principle: “ministry has weight.”

So many take the assignment of the Armor Bearer because of the beautifully adorn package without ever recognizing that it has weight! They are attracted to the appearance of fame and attention that comes with the assignment without ever lifting the box and realizing that this ministerial assignment has weight. The weight of preparation comes with this assignment. The weight of sacrifice comes with this assignment. The weight of loneliness comes with this assignment. And the weight attack comes with this assignment. When you take this assignment, you automatically become a marked person because your leader is a marked person.

In I Samuel chapter 31, Saul’s Armor Bearer saw that his leader, King Saul, was wounded in the heat of battle, and that wound ultimately caused his death. When this unnamed Armor Bearer saw that his leader was dead, the Bible said that he fell on his sword and died there with him. When he saw that he did not fulfill his assignment of protecting his leader and the visionary had been taken away, he saw no other thing to do but to die. How many times has your leader been wounded because of your negligence? How often have you placed your agenda above that of your leader or their vision? These wounds may not come in the form of physical wounds but wounds of embarrassment because you did not correctly instruct them. Or wounds of awkwardness because you failed to prepare their vestments...